Saturating apparatus.



F. TSCH'UDY. SATURATING APPARATUS.

APPLlcATloN'HLED sirnzl. |914.

1,1559386., Patented. oet. .5, 1915.

2 SHEETS-5Min l.'

F. TSCHUDY. SATURATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21. |914. l v l 1,155,386. Y Patented oct. 5, 1915.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. I

FREDERICK TSCHUDY, OF FAIRFELD, ALABAMA.

SATURATING APPARATUS'.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 31915.

A*LA '.icaton led September 21, 1914. Serial No. 862,835.

, To all wlw-m it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FREDERICK TsoHUDY,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of Fairfield, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and` useful Improvements in Saturating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a combined gas and vapor saturating apparatus in which may be carried on the process by which gas and vapors of diderent composition and origin are separately passed at different temperatures into one and the same saturating bath, which bath is maintained at differential temperatures and levels and to the separate withdrawal of the gases and waste,

lthe irst under pressure andthe second under suction. The diffusion of the waste heat of the high temperature gas is utilized to produce all the heat required by the low temperature bath.

In the process of manufacture of ainmonium sulfate from gasesproduced bythe distillation of fuel, the gas evolved from the fuel carries ofi" most of the tar and all of the adhesive and native moisture. If the character of the coal charged requires that it must be washed, the liberated adhesive moisture plays a considerable factor in the condensation ofthe gases evolved. Good condensedl from'the gas.

results: obtained, not only as to the size of 4the crystals of the salt produced, but more so as to the amount of water carried in suspension by the gas leaving the bath, at the temperature attained by reaction of the acid, which water should be equal in amount to thewater contained in suspension in a gas which has been previously cooled to about 75 degrees F. the water contained in the acid used in the process and the water usedl for washing the sulfate after extraction from the bath, but minus the surplus water carried to. the saturator by the high temperature aliunoniacal vapor. The water decanted from the condensate deposited in the system and coolers contains a certain percentage of free andA fixed ammonia, originating from the coal carbonized. The amount of water of condensation depends entirely on the moisture of the coal charged. This water of condensation, called Weak liquor, is treated in the usual manner by treating im special stills and the vapors are treated similarly to the gas by passing them into'an acid bath. From the above it is clearly noted that the gases are treated by cooling while the ammoniacal vapors are derived from the weak liquor byv distillation. Consequently, the gas is of a low temperature while the ammoniacal vapors are of a temperature close to the point of saturation of steam, if the still is worked at low pressure und over this point if 'the distillation takes place at high pressure. Furthermore, the gas must be subject to pressure produced by mechanical means, such as exhausters or blowers, while the ammoniacal vapors are able to move by the pressure produced bv their initial temperature tension. It is further known that the ammoniacal vapors contain certain amounts of sulfureted hydrogen, carbonio acid, hydro-cyanic acid and also traces of hydrochloric acid, besides a large amount of aqueous vapors in suspen-r sion. This combination, known as noxious gases, must be liberated and not mixed with the gases as they contaminate the same, lower its heating value and often act detrimentally on the pipe system through which the gases must pass. In order. to liberate these noxious gases, it must appear as evident that they must be carried off with the' surplus moisture. This requires that *the temperature'of the bath at the point of irnmersion of the vapors must be of a temperature equal. to or higher thanthat of the va- Dors. According to this, it would ,therefore become necessary to keep the bath ata high temperature in the processes where both gas and ammoniacal vapors areimmersed simultaneously into the same acid bath. lf this be not doneI the aqueous vapors must condense to a degree permitted by/ the lower temperature of the bath which must result Y in the dilution of-said bath.

.formed by the secondary shell 15.

The object of the present invention is to provide a ,saturating 'apparatus designed t0 carry on simultaneously two processes ofV saturation in one and the same bath, each process working under its particular requirements as to temperature and pressure for the most economicaLproduction in which the heat attained by one part of the bath, due to a hot process being applied, is utilized to keepthe temperature of the rest of the Abath at such a degree that a coldy process saturation is a possibility. y

A further object lof the Vinvention is to maintain the desired temperature by making use of radiating waste heat in one part,

-While in the other part waste heat -is utilized` to prevent radiation.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying' drawings, wherein,

' FigureY 1 is a vertical section through lthe snturator constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is `a section Ataken at right angles to that of Fig. 1, showing the top portion of the saturator, and, Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the cracker pipe.

Referring more particularly to the drawings it will be seen that a vertical section is shown through the saturator, representing the usualitype of vessel used for saturation,

' either for gas or ammoniacal vapors or both,

and is of circular cross section. For the purpose of extracting salts from the gases the vessel is partly filled with acid or acid solution. The salts crystallizing in the acid fall along the tapered sides of the lower side of the vessel to the bottom thereof and are continuously or intermittently removed by the ejector. The ammoniacal vapors entering the saturator vessel at the extension of the I closed top of the vessel into an annular chamber 10, ending at a certain specific distance in the saturator bath 11, hereinafter described. The Iend of the pipe 12, has a serrated edge 13, for the purpose of splitting ,up the gas and the distance of this edge below the level of the bath maintained, as hereinafter explained, is dimensioned in accordance with the minimum pressure that the ammoniacal vapors attain when entering the bath. This vapor cracker pipe 12, is sur.- rounded by another annular chamberTlll,

e gases liberated from the cracker pipe 12, emerge after dropping the salt, as waste gases or vapors from the bath inclosed by the 'secondary shell 15, and by draft induced by the stack rise in the secondary shell to the outlet 15". At the "end of this outlet the vapors are baiied by the acid separator 16, interposed between the secondary shell' and the pipe 17,leading to the stack. Particles of acidl which may have been lifted by the suction of the stack along with the waste vapors are here intercepted and returned to turned to an annular seal referred to later on. The ascending waste gases run countercurrent to a sprayl of strong acid, which is fed through the perforated lpipe 18, suspended from the top of .the secondary-shell. In this manner the gasreceives ajsecond washing and final extraction of the salts. .As the temperature of the ammoniacal vapors ranges from about 180 to 210o F., the vapors passing through the acid bath will give ofi, beside the heat caused by the reaction of the acid, a certain amount of heat to the bath thus keeping the temperature of the bath inclosed bythe secondary shell 15,v at the desired temperature for the saturation of ammoniacal vapors. In ascending, the waste -the collecting pit, from` whence they are regases-leaving the bath at .about the temperature of the bath give off heat to the outside..

`of the secondary shell for the reason that,

as hereinafter,y described,- the temperature inside the other shell surrounding the secondary shell is much lower, thus allowing -an interchange of sensitive heat, otherwise going to waste.

The secondary shell 15, inclosing the high Atemperature vapor bath, projects a considerable distancebelow the bottom vof the vapor cracker pipe 12, and also below the bottom of the gas cracker pipe referred to later on. This isdone for the purpose of preventing rapid' diffusion of the high'temperature bath into the surrounding low temperature bath. Thedilfusion of heat from the high temperature bath-to the surrounding low temperature bath is accomplished by the acid feed inside the secondary shell. The strength of the liquor required for saturation of a concentrated vapor such as introduced into 4the vapor cracker pipe 12, must naturally be greater, that is, it must contain a higher percentage of acid'than is required in a liquor treating large volumes of gas, with a comparatively small amount of ammonia. Consequently the heavier liquor inside the second-ary shell gravitates below the bottom of the shell and through the surging of the low temperature bath mingles and combines with this bath, giving ofi'l iits heat to the low temperature bath, the heat radial pot 19, situated outside of the saturator shell `'and connected to the bath by a series of ports 20. By these means the liqilid level inside of the pipe 12, resisting the pressure K of but a few inches water'column. is brought secondary shell, previously referred to, and

'a considerable distance over the liquid level-v of the-low temperature bath, and the heavy surge in the low temperature bath is broken and a comparatively constant level maintained in the secondary shell 15. For the better diffusion of the sensible heat in the high temperature bath to that of the low temperature, perforations (not shown) may be made incertain parts of the secondary shell communicating withl Y,the bath surrounding the same.-

The gases of. carbonization, after being cooled as referred to, and after having the tar and aqueous vapor condensed, are brought through the medium of a blower to the top of primary shell 21. By the corn- !pression in the blower the temperature of this gas is slightly raised, so that it will enter the saturator at about 100 F., taking into consideration the loss of heat by radiation in the mains between the blowers and saturator. Descending in the primary shell 21, the gas takes up heat from radiation through the secondary shell 15, deposited from the lwaste vapors previously referred to, which heat will keep the gas at a constant temperature. At the bottom ot the primary shell thegases are conducted into the gas cracker pipe 22, for distribution in minute globules over the major part of the low temperature bath 23. Due to the pressure of the gas which enters the saturator at from 271 to 5 pounds per square inch, the

resultantpressure inside of the saturator shell and outside of the primary shell Q1, depresses the surface level of the low temperature bath considerably, according to the pressure under which the apparatus is operated below the atmospherlc level maintained in the secondary shell and the level in the annular seal 19. The salt deposited by the` low temperature bath is removed together' with the salt of the high temperature bath, as previously indicated. by ejector 24. and is .lifted to a series of settling tanks which discharge the heavy salt to the usual centrifugal drier (not shown). The liquor decanted from the salt. in the settling tanks, together with the liquor reinoved in the centritugal drier, are returned through the over-How orfdrainpipe 25, to the annular seal.- from which the `drained liquor again unites with the low temperature bath. Since. as previously referred to, the salt is ejected continuously, there is a more or less continuous stream of liquor' returning through the annular seal. This liquor, having lost a considerable amount of heat by radiation and evaporation, has been further cooled down bv the usual Washing process of will in this manner prevent the overheating of the low temperature bath. The annular seal serves the several purposes already described besides that of counter-acting the radiation of heat from the low temperature bath. Even though the temperature of this returned liquor is lower than that of the bath,qit is considerably higher than the temperature ofthe atmosphere. Thus it prevents the rapid radiation of the temperature on the. j )eriphery of the low temperature bath. 'Since the low temperature bath in operation is subject to liuctuati'ons of pressure or surging called the wash, the annular "seal is provided with an overflow 2G, which serves the two-fold purpose of taking care of the surplus liquor and Amaintaining the maximum atmospheric pressure. This maximum must be regulated as described, l to prevent pressure fluctuations by the bath on the ammoniacal vapors in the vapor cracker pipe 12. The minimum level brought about by this surge is counter-acted in the secondary shell by the suction previously referred to. For a proper distribution of the returned mother liquor over the entire surface of the low temperature bath, the annular seal is connected by a series ot ports 20,

which dip a certainidistance into the bath to prevent the possible escape-of gas. In order to keep the low temperature bath to the required degree of acidity, strong acid may be introduced through the medium of the annular seal. This, however, is optional.

I claim: 1. ln a saturator, the combination of an inclosing shell, a concentric division wall, a

vapor cracker pipe within said Wall and a gas cracker pipe outside of said -wa-ll, and means for spraying acid into the upper portion ot the space inclosed byI said division wall` substantially as described.

'2. ln a saturator. the combination of au inclosing shell having a liquid seal on its periphery, means for separately supplying vapor and gas to different portions of the sameacid bath. means for removing the.

formed salts, and means for returning to the liquid seal the liquor drained from the eject ed salts, substantially as described.

ln a saturator. the combination of a shell, three concentric tubes. open at the lower ends. arranged centrally in said shell and extending through the top of said shell and terminating above the bottom et the shell, the lower end of the inner tube terminating farthest away from and the lower end of the intermediate tube terminating nearest the bottom ot' the shell. the lower end of said inner tube provided with 'serrations,the lower end of the outer tube provided with a series of :istY

' provided with vsensations, the upper ends of the inner and outer tubes provided with 5 pipe connections for. outside sources of supply, the outer'k end of 'the intermediate tubey vprovided with a pipe connection `for withdrawal means, an outlet pipe connected to vsaid shell and a sealabout said shell, s.ub. stantially as described. A l, FREDERICK TSCHUDV Witnesses:

W. GRANT HARRISON, M. M. HUGHES.

Copies of this patent may be obtainedv for ve cents` cec-h, by addressing the Qommissioner of Patents,

l i Washinztpn, D. 6. 

